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Discussion Boards => HO => Topic started by: chuff_n_puff on January 12, 2008, 07:18:08 PM

Title: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: chuff_n_puff on January 12, 2008, 07:18:08 PM
Does anyone know a web site that will give the different sizes of diesel locos? I think the DD40AX is the biggest, but where does like the SD80 fall in, at its size? How far up does the GP numbers go and is a larger number always mean a larger engine? I thought the DD40 was the same as a DD40AX, but now that I have both, I see that the AX is about .75" longer than the plain DD40. I was tryng to find a SD80 and it seems that Kato is the only one who makes them and road schemes is very limited. There seems to be more of them in N scale, however.
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Paul M. on January 13, 2008, 03:36:08 PM
Have you tried googling it?
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: SteamGene on January 13, 2008, 05:04:39 PM
Use Good Search and support the B&O museum.  They need the money.
Gene
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Stephen D. Richards on January 14, 2008, 12:35:21 AM
Chuff,  Is the DD40 you have an Atheran?  If it is then what you really have is a DD35A.  Athearn made a pill of DD35A's and labels them DD40 and some of the newer ones they label as DDA40-X.  Bachmann to date has been the only manufacture that I am aware of that makes a true scale DDA40-X.  Bachmann's first ones were terrible in the motor department but the bodies were good.  The later versions are excellent but difficult to come by.  They have dual motors and 16 wheel drive.  Pull very well.  I have managed to convert one to DCC and will attempt to add appropriate sound when I get home this Summer.  Check out this site for your GM-EMD questions;   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM-EMD_locomotives.  This site will lead you to other locomotive manufactures too!  It is a wealth of info.   Hope that helps.     Stephen
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: SteamGene on January 14, 2008, 08:15:49 PM
BTW, diesels are locomotives.  What they pull are trains if the last car has marker lights on it.  True for steam, true for diesel.
Gene
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Woody Elmore on January 15, 2008, 07:27:36 AM
You might want to check out the Diesel Spotter's Guide by Kalmbach (the publishers of Model Railroader) I think they have two volumes and may be up to three.

Personally, I don't understand why so many volumes are needed - all diesels look the same. I'll take an SRy Ps-4 anytime!
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Dr EMD on January 15, 2008, 09:49:49 PM
Quote from: SteamGene on January 14, 2008, 08:15:49 PM
BTW, diesels are locomotives.  What they pull are trains if the last car has marker lights on it.  True for steam, true for diesel.
Gene

Gene is correct. Your subject should have been "Diesel Locomotive Sizes"

It could have been worst - "Locomotive train engine"
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Conrail Quality on January 15, 2008, 10:39:46 PM
Quote from: Dr EMD on January 15, 2008, 09:49:49 PM
Quote from: SteamGene on January 14, 2008, 08:15:49 PM
BTW, diesels are locomotives.  What they pull are trains if the last car has marker lights on it.  True for steam, true for diesel.
Gene

Gene is correct. Your subject should have been "Diesel Locomotive Sizes"

It could have been worst - "Locomotive train engine"

Really, is it that bad?

Locomotive: No problems here.
Engine: So the locomotive uses an engine. That eliminates electric locomotives, so it's not completely redundant. Since it comes after 'locomotive', it is actually describing the motor in the locomotive.
Train: Since 'train' comes before 'engine', this can be perfectly allright, since that phrase would siomply be describing the engine in the locomotive that must, by definition, be in the train.
The problelm, of course, is the incompatibility of 'locomotive train'. However, if they were switched, a pronoun used before 'train', and a possesive was added to 'locomotive', it would be both gramatical and have a correct definition. "The Train Locomotive's Engine" would be a vauge and confusing way of putting it, but it violates no rules that I can see.

Wow, I must really be bored to be writing about grammar.
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: rogertra on January 15, 2008, 11:00:42 PM
No Conrail.  There is only one definition of a "train" in North America and that's laid out clearly in every railroad rulebook.

A locomotive and engine, in this instance are identical.

Locomotives or engines pull trains.

A "train" is NOT a locomotive.  (Well it can be but not in the sense you mean and an explaination will get us deeper into a rules lesson)

It gets far more complex but, to keep it simple at this stage, a single diesel, or steam, or electric locomotive is not described as a "train"

An Athearn EMD F7A is a locomotive, it is not a "train"

A Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 is a locomotive, it is not a "train"

An AEM7 is a locomotive, it is not a "train".
Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: Dr EMD on January 16, 2008, 07:22:47 PM
One time I was riding in a car driven by a friend. He could not see if the track was clear so he ask me if I can see pass that "train"that was 300 feet away..

That "train" was just a boxcar sitting on a sliding. No locomotive anywhere!

I said the tracks was clear.

Title: Re: Diesel Train Sizes
Post by: rogertra on January 16, 2008, 08:12:09 PM
Quote from: Dr EMD on January 16, 2008, 07:22:47 PM
One time I was riding in a car driven by a friend. He could not see if the track was clear so he ask me if I can see pass that "train"that was 300 feet away..

That "train" was just a boxcar sitting on a sliding. No locomotive anywhere!

I said the tracks was clear.


Good answer, even if it wasn't a train blocking the view.